Arkansas Publisher Weekly: June 21, 2018

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Don’t forget about items for ANF auction John Troutt, Longtime Sun owner, dies

ARKANSAS

PRESS

Ar kansas

Publisher Weekly

ASSOCIATION

Serving Press and State Since 1873

Vol. 13 | No. 25 | Thursday, June 21, 2018

Lynda Hollenbeck is Golden 50 Service Award recipient

Editor’s Note: written by The Courier Staff honoring Arkansas Press Association’s Golden 50 Service Award recipient Lynda Hollenbeck

Tenn. Three newspapers were delivered daily to her household: the Arkansas Gazette, the Arkansas Democrat and the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

In 1970 a little redheaded woman walked into The Courier office at the old Troutt House, toting a sample of her writing.

“With that kind of indoctrination, I don’t guess I could have gotten too far away from the printed news talk,” Hollenbeck said.

She was interviewing for a three-day-aweek society editor position.

Little did she know that she soon would be rubbing elbows with politicians, moneymakers and everyone in between.

She has been sitting behind a Courier desk for 48 years and has earned the title of one of the longest-working people at the newspaper.

She is Lynda Hollenbeck.

Hollenbeck grew up in Cotton Plant, about halfway between Little Rock and Memphis,

She went on to study journalism at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and served on the journalism staff of the college newspaper “The Arkansas Traveler”.

She would graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She had gone to college to study music but quickly learned there was more to a music degree than singing and dancing, her favorite pastimes.

“I loved my music performance courses, but I couldn’t get serious about music

John Tull, wise counsel and defender of FOI, is a newspaper person For journalists needing help with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and legal requests, the answer is John E. Tull III. Since the early ’90s, he has manned the FOIA Legal Hotline. Journalists can call Tull – a founding member of Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC and legal counsel for APA – to receive FOIA and legal assistance.

“Whether you are a college student or an Arkansas newspaper publisher, whatever life stage you are in, you will get the same level of respect when John Tull answers your questions on the

Freedom of Information Act,” said Ashley Wimberley, APA executive director. “John is passionate about this subject and has spent hundreds of hours giving legal advice to our members. We are most appreciative.”

For his dedication and service helping to utilize and defend the Freedom of Information Act, Tull will receive the Freedom of Information Award at this month’s APA convention. In 2006, he also received the APA Distinguished Service Award.

Continued on Page 3

Lynda Hollenbeck

theory and the hard-core curriculum that musicians must embrace,” Hollenbeck said. “So I stayed with the fun stuff — voice, Schola Cantorum, Opera Workshop, Uarkettes — and went head-on into the journalism department, where I found my Continued on Page 2

Event registration deadline for APA convention is tomorrow The deadline to register for events for the June 27-30 APA SuperConvention at the Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs is tomorrow, June 22. If you haven’t yet registered for the convention, visit this link on the APA website: www.arkansaspress. org/page/superconvention.

Press@On #ArkansasNewspapers

Lynda Hollenbeck Continued from page 1 niche.”

“There have been so many wonderful experiences in this job that I never would have had if I had gone in a different direction,” she said. “I’ve dined with movie stars and future presidents.

“The newsroom is a different atmosphere now. It was just more fun back in the earlier years. One of the most exciting times was during Watergate when new developments were happening daily in that investigation that forever changed the face of presidential politics. I can still hear the bells of the old AP machine when something new was breaking.”

“I’ve met some of the finest people in the world — some from humble, heartbreaking situations; others who seemed to just touch something and have it turn to gold. I learned early on that everybody has a story — some people have many — but if you give people a chance, they will open their hearts and share their lives with you.”

But news is only part of what makes up Hollenbeck. She has been singing since she was a 3-year-old, and she started playing the piano at the age of 6.

“My family was music/theater-oriented. My cousin Sissy was my first voice teacher and her sister Paula was my drama teacher,” she explained.

“According to Courier lore, when I left the building, Polly Rogers, one of the two charming receptionists (Marion Carttar was the other and both are greeting folks in heaven now), teasingly said to Bob, ‘Bet you hired that one, didn’t you?’ in reference to the miniskirt,” Hollenbeck recalled.

She reminisced about the excitement newsfolk experienced during Bill Clinton’s first campaign for president.

“Bob replied, ‘Would you believe she has a degree in journalism?’, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

And she has fond memories of the time when Burt Reynolds came to town to make the movie “White Lightning.”

Hollenbeck is active in the Royal Players community theater organization, which has the Royal Theatre in Benton as its home base. She’s also served as pianist and music director for many churches and currently holds this responsibility at the Benton-Bryant Cumberland Presbyterian Fellowship.

That niche has carried Hollenbeck through four decades of newspapering. Before working for The Courier , she had used her journalism degree only to write accounts of activities of the MacDowell Music Club in Cotton Plant and occasional notices for the Cotton Plant Methodist Church, where her father was a leader and her mother the organist for 55 years.

Hollenbeck and her family moved to Benton in 1970, when she first saw The Courier advertisement about the need for a three-day-a week society editor. She called about the position and soon was being interviewed by then-editor Bob Ferguson, who became “a wonderful friend.”

Hollenbeck noted that the late Sam Hodges was the publisher at that time and Ron Meyer was general manager.

“Someone introduced me to Ron on my first day, but my first encounter with Mr. Hodges wasn’t done with any formality.

“I was sitting at a desk, editing columns from some of The Courier correspondents — those wonderful down-home folk who would tell you what was served when the Smiths sat down to dinner with the Joneses and who had visited a particular church last Sunday — when this short, dapper, balding man walked in the front door, stopped beside me and said, ‘They tell me you can spell, punctuate and construct sentences. Glad to have you.’ That said, he walked away. I had no idea who he was, but I, of course, would come to admire and respect this brilliant individual who was a tremendous influence in my life.”

Since that first interview, Hollenbeck has

moved from society editor to associate editor, covering elections, politics, school boards and anything else that people may be talking about in the community.

“There aren’t many times when someone is running for president whom you’ve visited with in your office and gotten to have lunch with,” she said.

“Downtown Benton turned into a huge party no one will ever forget,” she said. “I had a lunch interview with him and was the envy of every woman in town.”

Turning to the more serious side of the job, she noted that “you have to learn to grow a thick skin if you’re going to be a ‘real reporter.’ There will always be those who claim to be misquoted — and sometimes they are and you have to acknowledge it when it happens — and then there are those who just don’t like the way it sounds when they see it on the page. The main thing is to try to be fair and remember it really won’t kill you to say, ‘I’m sorry. I was wrong.’”

Not only has Hollenbeck learned about apologies, but she also has learned to adapt to new technology. She said she likes computers and email, but she still misses the sights and sounds of the old newsroom.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

Besides music and theater, Hollenbeck has a special place in her heart for animals.

She is an avid supporter and has served on the board of directors of the Humane Society of Saline County. She also serves on the Friends of the Arkansas Health Center Board of Directors.

Hollenbeck and her late husband Ed, a retired Cumberland Presbyterian minister, were married for almost 40 years. They share six children and 15 grandchildren.

“Like most people who have been in the newspaper business for a while, I’ve gotten a few awards along the way,” she said. “It’s nice to be recognized by your peers, but having judged contests myself, I know how subjective they are.

“Publishers like it when newsroom people win honors, but the best accolades come from the readers — and often they’re the readers you can’t put a name on. Through the years, I’ve experienced many warm moments when someone has approached me in the grocery store or a ballgame and said something like, ‘Oh, I just loved your column Sunday. I always read it. It makes me smile.’

“These are the folks that make this job fulfilling,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade them for a truckload of trophies.”

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June 21, 2018

John Tull

Continued from page 1 “FOIA is intended as a sunshine law to allow citizens to be informed about the actions of elected officials and public entities,” Tull said. “No law is more important in the ability to dig into stories that help the public understand the facts rather than accepting the official line. Arrest records, 911 calls and emails among staff all have been used to publish important stories by the Arkansas press.”

When Tull receives a call on the APAsponsored hotline, he determines the situation and asks for written requests and responses when available. For instance, if an FOIA request has been denied, he wants to see the denial letter or email. He reviews the situation, about half the time does some additional research and then counsels the caller on the best steps to see that the FOIA is enforced.

Sometimes he is asked for a quote in a newspaper story regarding his opinion about an FOIA request. Other callers ask how to phrase an FOIA request or what expectation of success he thinks they will have in getting the documents they seek.

He also answers questions about what specific entities are subject to the FOIA. “Anyone who has ever availed themselves of the APA legal hotline knows that the service goes well beyond what might be expected,” said Bill Hager (20072008 APA president) at Tull’s 2006 APA Distinguished Service Award presentation.

“Our honoree and his colleagues have gone above and beyond in so many cases to offer sound legal advice on issues our members encounter.”

Tull views his work with APA as a

service to a profession he admires. “I believe journalists are among the least appreciated professionals. But they serve one of the most vital functions in a democratic society,” he said.

He has always been a “newspaper guy.”

He is a vociferous reader of newspapers, following in the footsteps of his parents and grandparents.

“Any city I’m in, I’m reading the newspaper every day,” he said. “Growing up in Lonoke, the world opened to me through newspapers. News attracted me and intrigued me.”

After graduating from Vanderbilt University, Tull worked for U.S. Sen. David Pryor in Washington, D.C. He graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1984. Formerly an attorney at Wright Lindsey Jennings and Williams Anderson law firms in Little Rock, he founded his current practice in 2000.

With 36 attorneys, Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull is a business law firm where Tull specializes in business litigation involving product liability, securities fraud, construction and media. He has served as lead counsel in more than 100 jury trials.

“I have tried a good number of defamation cases and they have been among the most fascinating,” Tull said. “Because of the size of the awards, they can be scary; but I’ve been fortunate to be successful. I use them as an opportunity to explain the importance of journalism to the jurors.”

When not trying cases or answering hotline calls, Tull likes to duck hunt on the back side of his farm in Lonoke. A long-time

John E. Tull III

runner, he has completed six marathons.

He’s an avid sports fan, rooting these days for the Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Tull and his wife Martha live in Little Rock with their 13-year-old daughter, an eighth grader at Episcopal Collegiate School. His 28-year-old daughter works for the Clarke Tucker congressional campaign.

This past winter, Tull celebrated his 60th birthday by climbing to the 19,341-foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Eight friends and family members enjoyed that trek, and they’ve become hooked on hiking.

Their upcoming adventure is a planned trip to Patagonia.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the Arkansas Press Association, a favorite client of mine,” Tull said. “I’ve long admired everyone at APA who works hard to keep the FOIA strong. I’m excited to be in Eureka Springs next week to accept this award.”

Special thanks to APA Convention sponsors Each year the APA solicits several partner sponsors to help stage the association’s annual convention. The 2018 SuperConvention set for June 27-30 at the Inn of the Ozark in Eureka Springs is no exception.

Among the sponsors signing on for the 2018 convention are: • BRANSON • University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture • Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

• WEHCO Media, Inc.

• AT&T Arkansas

• Arkansas Children’s Hospital

• UAMS

• Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas

• Entergy

• Arkansas Farm Bureau

• AgHeritage Farm Credit Services

• The Daily Record

• Arkansas Attorney General’s Office

• Rust Communications

• Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism

• Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau • Arkansas Business Publishing Group • GateHouse Media

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

Press@On #ArkansasNewspapers

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June 21, 2018

Don’t forget about items for ANF auction

APA members and associates are encouraged to donate items to be auctioned at the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation’s annual silent auction at the annual convention June 27-30 at the Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs.

The auction raises funds for the Foundation, which provides internships and scholarships among other projects.

Items for the auction can be anything from lodging packages to dinner gift certificates to arts and crafts, and from event tickets to goodie baskets and autographed items.

A wide variety of items are featured in the event each year.

Email ANF Executive Director Karen Brown if you or your newspaper would like to donate an auction item. Items will be listed in social media, convention materials and news releases leading up to the event. Brown can be reached at arknewspaperfoundation@gmail.com.

Rex Nelson identifies “News and Fake News” during session at APA SuperConvention

Rex Nelson

Rex Nelson’s talk on “News and Fake News” from 4-5 p.m. June 29 at the APA SuperConvention at Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs will have something for everyone.

“In addition to my definitions of news and fake news, I’m going to give my thoughts on the future of our industry,” said Nelson, senior editor at the Arkansas DemocratGazette. “I’ll talk about where I see news in America heading and where I think it needs to go.”

Whether they’re a publisher, ad salesperson, editor or all three, APA members will enjoy this discussion of how to meet the immediate challenges of the

Times wins national awards The Times of North Little Rock received four awards from the National Newspaper Association (NNA) 2018 Better Newspaper Contest.

appeal. Wow.”

Honorees include Jeremy Peppas, Donna Lampkin Stephens and Jaison and Callie Sterling for published work in 2017.

“Definitely the strongest art of the entire package,” the judge wrote. “… technically very strong.”

Jaison Sterling won a first place in Best Sports Photo, while he and wife Callie Sterling won a second place in Best Photo Essay, while Peppas and Stephens were both honored for their work in sports.

Peppas received a second place in Best Sports Section, while Stephens took home a second placed in best sports feature.

The Times competed against daily and weekly papers with a circulation of less than 3,000 with a total of 1,405 entries in the Better Newspaper Editorial Contest.

The first place photo by Jaison Sterling was of North Little Rock basketball player Collin Moore and the judge’s comments were, “I appreciate that this is a full shot nothing cut off. This photo is full of detail, especially the player’s expression, which pulls readers in. Awesome emotion and

industry and come back stronger than ever in the years ahead.

Ever the optimist, Nelson has a reputation for speeches that are both informative and fun. Expect his talk to be peppered with experiences from his early years as a sports writer and editor at the Arkadelphia Siftings Herald and Southern Standard, his tenure at the Democrat, his experiences in politics and government, his almost four decades as the voice of Ouachita Baptist Tiger football, along with his favorite places to eat pie in the Natural State.

In his current job at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Nelson writes three opinion columns a week and a couple of Perspectives Section cover stories each month. His mission for the statewide daily, he said, is to seek good stories to tell and speak to audiences throughout the state about the history, places and people of Arkansas.

The photo essay was a three-page spread on the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump titled, “Days in D.C.”

In sports, the judge wrote of the sections, “Love the large photo on main sports page. Clean layout.”

Sections submitted included coverage of North Little Rock’s first football state championship in December 2017.

The sports feature was on Central Arkansas Christian soccer player Amalie Gunn and was titled, “Gunn-ing for a title.”

“Excellent coverage,” the judge wrote.

“Thorough.”

Winners will be recognized at the awards breakfast held Saturday, Sept. 29, during NNA’s 132nd Annual Convention & Trade Show at the Waterside Marriott, Norfolk, Va. The Times was the only paper in Arkansas to receive awards in the NNA contest.

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

North Little Rock’s Collin Moore falls out of bounds against Cabot in February 2017. The photo received a first place award in the National Newspaper Association contest for photographer Jaison Sterling.

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June 21, 2018

Mark Your Calendar June 22:

APA SuperConvention Registration Deadline

June 27 - 30:

APA SuperConvention, Inn of the Ozarks, Eureka Springs

Industry Quotes of the Week “There are committed journalists here working hard every day to uncover stories about our community.

Canceling your subscription only hurts our ability as journalists to bring you the news.”

– Kate Giammarise, reporter, Pittsburg Post-Gazette “We are all frustrated by the recent changes happening on the PG’s editorial page. But we also know that the positions espoused there have nothing to do with the work done in our newsroom” – Paula Reed Ward, reporter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Let Us Know We want to know about your new hires, retires and promotions!

Send your staffing changes to info@arkansaspress.org to be updated online and included in our weekly bulletin and monthly newsletter.

Let’s Get Social

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2018 SuperConvention registration list

Here is the list of those who have registered to attend the 2018 APA SuperConvention next week at the Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs.

If your name is not on this list, please register today and plan to attend this outstanding gathering with those listed below:

Abilene, TX: Anna & Merlin Mann

Arlington, VA, News Media Alliance: Paul Boyle Batesville Daily Guard: Angelia Roberts Benton, The Saline Courier: Kelly Freudensprung & Josh Briggs Bentonville: Mike & Karen Brown

Berryville, Carroll Electric Cooperative: Claudia Harp, Tyler Ashworth, Nancy Plaqqe

Berryville, Carroll County News: Tavi Ellis, David Bell, Tag Ellis, Ty Loftis, Kelby Newcomb, Samantha Jones, Scott Loftis, Bob & Linda Moore, Alex Gladden

Camden News: Sue & James Lee Silliman Danville, Fisher Publishing: David & Mary Fisher Eureka Springs: Butch & Lynn Berry

Fayetteville, Northwest Arkansas DemocratGazette: Todd Nelson, Brent Powers, Rusty& Anita Turner, Doug & Lisa Thompson, Flip Puthoff, Spencer & Annetta Tirey, Alex Golden, Melissa Gute, Tracy Neal Fayetteville: Brend Blagg

Fayetteville NC, Advantage Newspaper Consultants: Marie Smith, Sandra Stringer

Farmington, Washington Co. EnterpriseLeader: Lynn Kutter

Fort Smith, Times Record: Crystal Costa

Greenwood, Greenwood Democrat: Dustin & Christy Graham Gulf Shores, AL, Grimes, McGowan & Associates: Lewis & Madge Floyd Hampton, South Arkansas Sun: Larry Killian, Jeri Shire

Hardy, Springs River Chronicle: Tammy Curtis, Mack Thompson, Joseph & Molly Price Harrison: Jeff & Jane Christenson

Harrison Daily Times: Jim & Lisa Perry

Hot Springs, The Sentinel Record: Jay Bell Huntsville, Madison County Record: Preston Tolliver, Ellen & Kelly Kreth, Shannon Hahn

Jonesboro, Arkansas State University: Ron Sitton, Sandra Combs Little Rock, Arkansas Baptist News: Tim Yarbrough

@ArkansasPressAssociation @ARPressAssoc

Little Rock, Arkansas Press Association: Ashley Wallace, Madi Stephens, Neil McConnell, Terri & George Cobb, Ashley, Neal, Anna & Maggie Wimberley

Little Rock, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Rex Nelson, Sonny Albarado, Linda Lanier, Lisa Hammersly, Amanda Curcio, Jeremy Muck

Little Rock, Arkansas Department of Human Services: Glenn Bolick, Marci Manley Little Rock, ATT Arkansas: Melinda Faubel Little Rock Convention & Vistor’s Bureau: Libby Lloyd Little Rock, Electric Cooperatives: Rob Roedel

Little Rock, Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull: John E. Tull, III Little Rock, UAMS: Leslie Taylor, Liz Caldwell, Andrea Peel

Malvern Daily Record: Gretchen Ritchey, Alexis Meeks

McGehee, McGehee-Dermott Times-News: Arlene White, Rachel Freeze, Miles Robbins Montgomery, AL, Boone Newspapers, Inc.: Lisa Griffin Monticello, Advance Monticellonian: Tom White, Ashley Foreman, Harold & Cindy Coggins Mount Ida: Derwood & Frances Brett Mountain View, Stone County Leader: Rusty & Neal Fraser, Lori Freeze

Nashville, Nashville News-Leader: John Schirmer, Louie Graves North Little Rock: Frank & Kay Fellone Pea Ridge Times: Annette Beard

Rison, Cleveland Co. Herald: Britt & Karen Talent Russellville, The Arka Tech: Amber & Roger Quaid

Searcy, The Daily Citizen: Tracy Whitaker, Tara Thomas, Jeff & Rachel Lewis, Bruce Guthrie, Steve Watts Sheridan, The Sheridan Headlight: Millie & Magan McClain, Byron & Pat Tate, Hunter & Tanner Newton

St. Paul, St. Paul School: Janelle Riddle

Walnut Ridge, The Times Dispatch: John, Renee, & Anna Bland

Wynne Progress: David & Ashlyn Owens

Little Rock, Arkansas Farm Bureau: Rob Anderson

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

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June 21, 2018

John Troutt, longtime Sun owner, dies

By Kenneth Heard, Sun Staff Writer, kheard@jonesborosun.com

JONESBORO — John Troutt, Jr., the longtime owner and publisher of The Jonesboro Sun, died late last Thursday evening at St. Bernards Medical Center Troutt, who had been involved with John Troutt, Jr. the newspaper since he began carrying papers for the evening edition when he was 10, was 88 years old.

“We lost a good man,” said Jonesboro City Councilman Charles Frierson, who knew Troutt since the two played football on Jonesboro High School’s team in 1945.

Troutt was born in Jonesboro on Oct. 10, 1929, to John W. Troutt, Sr., and Helen Troutt. His father, who served as the newspaper’s business manager, sent Troutt to business school to learn how to type.

While in the eighth grade, he began writing some sports and obituaries, working out an arrangement with his school that allowed him to go to work at 6:30 a.m. before starting class in mid-morning.

He graduated with honors at Jonesboro High School and then enrolled in the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to study journalism and history.

He became the first editor of The Traveler, the university’s student newspaper, and also worked part-time for the Fayetteville bureau of the Fort Smith Southwest Times American.

After graduating from the university in 1950, Troutt returned to Jonesboro and worked with his father at The Sun until he was drafted into the U.S. Army.

During his service, Troutt was a “guinea pig” for testing of the atomic bomb in Nevada, said Roy Ockert, a former editor of The Jonesboro Sun and an employee of Troutt’s.

He was also an aide to Gen. Bruce C. Clarke, then commanding general of the 1st Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas.

In 1954, Troutt left the service as a first lieutenant.

Troutt was the main reporter for The Sun when he returned to Jonesboro. He became the city editor when Ockert began working there and later he became the managing editor in 1964 Ockert remembered Troutt’s poise under deadline pressure on Nov. 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was shot and

killed in Dallas.

“John was out covering a murder case in Trumann all night,” Ockert recalled. “It was one of the bigger stories of the year. When I left that [Nov. 22] morning, he was working on that story. Then Kennedy was shot around noon.

The press had already run about 5,000 copies of the newspaper before Kennedy was killed.

Ockert said Troutt and others rewrote the newspaper’s front page quickly to highlight the assassination as the lead story.

“When I returned to the newspaper after class, they had put out the new edition,” Ockert said. “I have a copy of both editions. I value them highly. It was one of the only times they stopped the press and did a complete replate. It was a dramatic case, and I used both of those editions later when teaching [journalism].”

During his tenure, The Sun’s circulation grew to 31,000 on Sundays and 28,000 on weekdays. In 1982, Troutt switched the newspaper to a morning delivery and a Saturday edition was returned after it was discontinued in 1968.

“He was a genius,” Frierson said. “He had an amazing knowledge of what was going on in this town.”

Frierson said the first time he saw Troutt was on the football field and he was amazed at Troutt’s speed.

“He was a good tackle on the high school football team,” Frierson said. “He was big, and it was amazing to see him move so quickly with all that weight. He just played a good game.”

Frierson said Troutt supported “the better things for Jonesboro” in his newspaper and helped meld the town into the thriving Northeastern Arkansas hub that is is today.

“He had great influence on the progress of the city,” added Henry Jones, who served as the Greater Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce director when Troutt was the newspaper’s editor. “He was one of those people who got Jonesboro moving.”

Troutt was also a steadfast supporter of Arkansas’ Freedom of Information laws and was involved in a landmark state Supreme Court case that helped define the scope of the law.

In 1977, Sun reporter Michael Overall was denied access to hearings of the North Central Association of College and Schools’ meeting with members of the Jonesboro School District. The association was meeting to discuss the school’s accreditation and members told Overall he was not allowed because the association was not considered

Arkansas Publisher Weekly

a public board and not subject to open records and meetings laws.

The Sun filed suit and a trial court ruled in favor of the newspaper and ordered the release of documents claiming the association was subject to the Freedom of Information Act because it was primarily funded by public funds.

The association appealed and in North Central Association of Colleges and Schools v. Troutt Brothers, Inc., affirmed the lower court’s decision.

“He was always fair,” Jones said.

“Sometimes, things we were doing needed to be kept confidential while we were working on them. We didn’t want to let other towns and businesses know we were recruiting businesses.

“John said, “Don’t worry about the FOI,” Jones said. “He said, “I am the news media.

I’ll know what is going on.”

In 1998, Troutt’s newspaper was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the Westside Middle School shooting in which four pupils and a teacher were fatally shot by two youngsters who attended the school.

The Sun was the runner up to the Hartford Courant for its coverage of a Connecticut state employee who shot four people and then killed himself.

Bob Troutt grew up at The Sun with his father and was a reporter and later editor there.

“He was always fair and extremely smart,” Troutt said of his father. “I depended upon him. I’m going to miss his wise counsel.

“Dad’s deal was pretty simple. He was a newsman first and a businessman second,” he said.

“He was important to Arkansas journalism,” Ockert said. “He was a serious journalist. He did have a sympathetic side for the people he dealt with. It was a family-owned newspaper, and he took care of his employees like they were family. It was the way his shop ran.”

Troutt sold The Sun to the Paxton Media Group of Paducah, Ky., in 2000.

Later, when Bob Troutt opened a real estate business, his father worked with him there, too.

“I saw him every day,” Troutt said.

“The Troutt family was very instrumental,” Ockert said. “The family owned the paper for 99 years.

“He had an institutional memory of the city.

He was a blessing to have as an editor.

“John was someone you could rely on.”

Sun reporter Keith Inman contributed to this report.

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June 21, 2018

2018 APA Convention Registration Form June 27 - 30 | Inn of the Ozarks | Eureka Springs

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Register Online at: www.ArkansasPress.org/Event/2018SuperConvention

Convention Schedule Wednesday, June 27

Friday, June 29 (cont’d)

Noon

APA Golf Tournament Holiday Island Country Club, Eureka Springs

Noon

6:00 p.m.

Early Bird Event Poolside Luau, Dinner & Games

Lunch • Gubernatorial Candidate Debate • President’s Gavel Passing • Golf Awards Presentation

2:30 p.m.

Session: Newspaper Legal Issues Presented by John Tull & Vincent Chadick Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull Law Firm

4:00 p.m.

Session: News & Fake News Presented by Rex Nelson

6:00 p.m.

Honorees’ Reception

7:00 p.m.

APA Honor’s Banquet Golden 50, Journalism Educator, Distinguished Service, FOI and Headliner of the Year Awards

9:00 p.m.

After-Hours Hospitality

Thursday, June 28 Noon

Opening Round Table Luncheon

1:30 p.m.

Session: Update on Newspaper Tariffs, Presented by Paul Boyle

3:00 p.m.

ANF Slient Auction Opens

3:30 p.m.

Session: Gaining Digital Subscribers Presented by Barry Arthur

7:00 p.m.

Dinner & The Great Passion Play

Friday, June 29 8:00 a.m.

Past Presidents’ Breakfast Invitation Only

8:30 a.m.

Trade Show Opens Press Camp (Kids 6-12)

9:00 a.m.

Session: Adobe Workflow Presented by Lisa Griffin

Hotel Information Inn of the Ozarks

Saturday, June 30 8:30 a.m.

Continental Breakfast APA Member Business Meeting

9:00 a.m.

Session: FOI Workshop Presented by Brenda Blagg

10:30 a.m.

FOI Panel Discussion

12:00 p.m.

APA Better Newspaper Editorial Awards Lunch & Presentation

APA Golf Tournament Holiday Island Country Club

Located on 30 wooded acres, relax in spacious rooms and suites with plush top beds, dream maker pillows and balconies. Enjoy home-style cooking at Myrtie Mae’s Café. Take a dip in the outdoor pool, play mini golf or play on the game court which includes basketball, volleyball, and tennis, and enjoy poolside movies as well as a business center and free Wi-Fi.

To make a room reservation, call (479) 253-9768 207 West Van Buren, Eureka Springs, AR 72632

Reserve hotel rooms by June 15 | $109 Single/Double Be sure to mention the Arkansas Press Association group name when reserving your room.

Holiday Island’s Golf courses are strategic courses. They offer 27 holes of golf at Holiday Island; an 18-hole championship course and a 9-hole executive course. Choosing the correct club and playing correct shots will challenge golfers at all levels. The views and the quiet are unmatched and will allow you a peaceful round of golf along with breathtaking scenery of the Ozark Mountains.

Guest Speakers Paul Boyle, Senior Vice President/Public Policy, News Media Alliance

Paul J. Boyle is Senior Vice President/Public Policy for the News Media Alliance, a trade organization representing nearly 2,000 diverse news organizations. From the largest news groups to local newspapers to digital-only operations, the Alliance represents all news media content creators.

Boyle is the chief lobbyist and manages the legislative and regulatory affairs operation of the association. Under Boyle’s leadership, the industry has preserved the current tax treatment of advertising expenses; resisted government efforts to reclassify independent contractors; reduced postal rates impacting newspapers’ advertising products; preserved recruitment advertising in printed newspapers and obtained structural reforms to the Freedom of Information Act. He is currently managing the effort to beat back tariffs on newsprint imports from Canada.

Boyle is a member of the American Society of Association Executives. He is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Lisa Griffin, Publishing Specialist, Boone Newspapers, Inc.

Lisa Tackett Griffin is a popular trainer at Macintosh training events around the United States. She is recognized as a pioneer in the areas of computer pagination, PDF technology, and remote printing methods for newspapers. Lisa is a staff member at the University of Tennessee/Tennessee Press Association Institute for Newspaper Technology and has conducted group training for press associations and newspapers on topics such as Newspaper Technology, Mac Troubleshooting, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PhotoShop, Quark Xpress, Pagination, PDF file creation and digital communications.

Since 1983, Lisa has provided consultation, training and support to newspapers as well as other markets. Advances in technology over the past 20 years for the newspaper industry have been both exciting and sometimes challenging. Bringing this information through training sessions directly to people in the production process continues to be a priority. Attendees will find the material to be interesting, informative and applicable to their everyday workload.

Rex Nelson

Senior Editor, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Brenda Blagg

Freelance Writer & Syndicated Columnist

Member of the Arkansas FOI Coalition

John Tull

Managing Member Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC

Barry Arthur

Asst. Managing Editor Photo/ Electronic Media, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Vincent Chadick

Of Counsel Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC

Ea r ly bird Po o lsid e Lu au Wed n esd ay, J un e 2 7 at 6 p m Inn of the Ozarks Po ol Area - $20/person

join us for food, drinks & a Baggo Tournament!

Th u rs d ay, Ju n e 2 8

Join us for dinner, music & backstage tours at the newly renovated

The Great

Passion Play Dinner at 7 | Show at 8:30